The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Akim Abuakwa South constituency, Samuel Atta Akyea, has voiced criticism against President Akufo-Addo for not sufficiently promoting the free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Questioning the President’s approach, Atta Akyea expressed bewilderment as to why, despite substantial investments in the educational policy, there was a lack of significant publicity surrounding it.
In a Face to Face interview on Citi TV on Tuesday, Atta Akyea characterized the President as a ‘bad storyteller,’ pointing out his failure to communicate the narrative behind the free SHS policy to the Ghanaian people.
Observing the long-term impact of the policy, Atta Akyea acknowledged the challenges but emphasized that President Akufo-Addo had laid the foundation for the next two decades.
He stated, “Even if it’s not perfect, he has given the foundation for this nation to take off. In terms of serious brain power in the next 20 years.”
Atta Akyea also dismissed claims that the President had underperformed during his eight-year rule. He attributed challenges faced by the government to external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“I think President Akufo-Addo has been a bad storyteller too. There’s no president in this realm called Ghana, who said people should go to secondary school for free. Do you think it’s cheap?
“I do not think he [Akufo-Addo] has underperformed. What I believe is that he has had a lot of trouble. People underrate the power of the COVID-19. President Osagyefo Nkrumah never faced that. The Russian-Ukraine war, in which the evidence is conclusive. The cold fact that economies contracted, because of these situations.